‘You’re lucky I’m here at all. I could have been blown off that hillside into the sea more than once on the way up here and you would have been none the wiser. Is this the way you usually treat your visitors?’
‘No... It isn’t...’
She had the briefest glimpse of what looked like regret in his fierce blue eyes—almost as if the idea had genuinely hurt him.
‘I don’t have any visitors here,’ he stated. ‘This is my private retreat and that’s usually the way I like it. I’ve accorded you the privilege of coming here, Rose, because you have something that I very much want...and we both know what that is. However, I’m sincerely sorry that I wasn’t down on the shore to meet you—I was busy with some work and simply forgot the time. I trust your journey wasn’t too arduous?’
Rose suddenly felt ridiculously guilty. The Frenchman had sent a car to pick her up and take her to the station, and on the plane he’d arranged for her to travel first class. She had no complaints about the journey...
‘It wasn’t arduous at all. It’s not every day that I get to travel business class. It was very pleasant, in fact.’
‘Good. Well, you’d better come inside and get warm. And, by the way, there was no danger of you being blown off the hillside.’ The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. ‘You were too far inland for that.’
Biting back an irritable retort, Rose hurriedly moved past him into a curved entrance hall. A sublime wave of welcoming heat enveloped her. Dropping her tote onto the pristine oak floor, she rubbed her hands together to restore their circulation.
Her reluctant host joined her and the chrome and glass wall behind him slid elegantly closed. She had a disturbing moment of fear, realising she didn’t know how to open them again. Were the controls some kind of heat-sensitive mechanism that only recognised the house’s owner?
Swallowing hard, she turned round to face him. ‘The boatman—Rory—told me I’d have to stay here until tomorrow because of the tides. I don’t want to inconvenience you, but I wish you’d told your secretary to tell me that before I travelled.’
‘Would you still have come if I had?’
‘Of course I would. I’m doing this purely to help Philip, Mr Bonnaire, so I’ll do whatever is necessary.’
‘Ah, Philip...’ His tone suggested the idea that she should undertake what was clearly for her an unwelcome mission only because of loyalty to her boss irked him. ‘How is he? Getting better, I hope?’
‘As a matter of fact he’s still in hospital. He took a turn for the worse. That’s what has motivated him to accept your offer.’ Rose’s heart thumped a little harder as she was suddenly reminded of the precarious nature of her boss’s health.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Please convey my wishes to him that he may get better soon. And, by the way, please call me Gene. Mr Bonnaire sounds ridiculously formal, considering the situation we’re in. Why don’t you come with me into the sitting room and I’ll get you a hot drink?’
Rose wasn’t so proud that she’d deny that was just what she longed for. The chill on that hillside and in the boat must have seeped into her bones.
‘Thank you. I’d like that.’
Pushing her fingers through her short damp hair, she retrieved her holdall and followed her host through what seemed like an acreage of corridor into a wide, spacious living area furnished with state-of-the-art minimalist couches and chairs and a glass table long enough to seat a small dinner party.
The vista through the huge uncovered windows was breathtaking. The rain was pouring from the skies in an endless stream now, and every time it lashed against the flawless glass it was accompanied by the anguished and ethereal sigh of the wind. But nothing detracted from the stunning beauty that surrounded the futuristic building. The wildness of the sea and the terrain were absolutely fitting.
Yet what was a successful entrepreneur who seemed to have an insatiable desire for everything—be it property, land, not to mention beautiful women—doing with a sanctuary in this wild, isolated place with just himself for company? Rose couldn’t help feeling even more intrigued.
‘What would you like? Tea, coffee, hot chocolate? Or perhaps you’d prefer something stronger?’
She swung her gaze round to meet Gene’s. He looked to be studying her with interest. His intense blue eyes suggested he had the capacity to look right inside her, and the idea made her shiver. The planes and angles of his face were uncommonly perfect, yet at the same time undoubtedly proclaimed him to be powerfully Alpha. He was so handsome that she couldn’t help wondering what he would look like if he really smiled—if he was to drop that arrogant air of his for even a moment and genuinely connected with someone for no other reason than that it was human...
Shrugging off the notion because she sensed it was pointless, she replied, ‘Hot chocolate sounds wonderful.’
‘Your wish is my command. Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable? You can watch the storm that’s coming, knowing you’re sitting inside safe and warm.’
‘There’s a storm coming?’
‘Of course...’ He jerked his head towards the skyline. ‘See those clouds that look like purple and black bruises? They definitely herald a storm. It’s likely to be a big one, so all we can do is batten down the hatches and watch the entertainment. Are you up for watching nature at its wildest, Rose?’
She hadn’t missed the provocative implication in his gravelled voice. Nor had she forgotten that scorching kiss he’d given her on his second visit to the shop. More than once the memory had made her catch her breath...
Arching a brow, she responded, ‘None of us can control the weather—so why not? Seeing as my stay here was unforeseen, and isn’t likely to be remotely pleasurable, it might be a welcome distraction and will help the time to pass more quickly.’
To Rose’s astonishment he threw back his head and laughed. It was a full-throated, hearty sound that made her pulse skitter wildly and her blood heat. She’d told him that she didn’t anticipate her stay would be pleasurable but in that unexpected moment, as the aloof businessman expressed a response to something that clearly elicited delight, once again she found herself helplessly warming to him.
‘Can I ask what you find so funny?’
He dropped his hands to his straight lean hips and stared at her. ‘I find your determination not to like me and your desire to leave my company as quickly as possible oddly endearing, Rose. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that most women have the opposite reaction when they receive an invitation from me.’
‘I’m sure it can’t be just because of your scintillating personality...’
Gene’s dazzling blue eyes narrowed. ‘I agree, it’s not my personality or even my looks that women are drawn to. Don’t you think I know that? They’re drawn to me because I’m a very rich man. I can buy them beautiful things and take them to all the best places. When they’re with me it makes them feel special. It’s not hard to work out why they like me. You’re frowning. Does it surprise you that I would be so frank?’
Rose shivered as an icy drip of water slid off the ends of her hair and down onto the back of her neck, but her attention didn’t waver for a second as she contemplated her host’s chiselled countenance.
She sighed. ‘More than finding it surprising, I’m disturbed that it doesn’t bother you. I mean, can you honestly say that you’re comfortable with women who only want to be with you for what you can give them materially?’
Right at that moment a flash of lightning still some way off on the horizon made her flinch, and thunder grumbled ominously. Although she’d deliberately made light of anticipating the ‘entertainment’ that was coming, thunder and lightning had always terrified